president barack obama and republican presidential candidate mitt romney faced off wednesday night in the first of three presidential debates. the debate was held at the university of denver and hosted by jim lehrer and focused on domestic policy issues. this is about one hour and a half. >> lets have a terrific evening for all of you and our country. arena. i welcome you to the first presidential debate between president barack obama and the republican nominee mitt romney. this debate and the next three are sponsored by the commission on presidential debates. about domestic issues and will follow a format designed by the commission. there will be six 15-minute segments with two-minute answers the segment. thousands of people offered suggestions on questions via the internet and other means. i made the final selections. they were not submitted for approval to the commission or the candidates. the economy -- one each on health care, the role oftre will be an emphasis throughout on differences, specifics, and choices. closing statements. the audience has promised to remain silent. no ch